(Photo via Brendan O’Keeffe/WCSN)
It seems the third time really was the charm for Arizona State Football interim head coach Shaun Aguano.
Hoping to avoid the program’s worst start since 1942, the Sun Devils welcomed the No. 21 ranked Washington Huskies to Sun Devil Stadium for a Saturday matinee for Aguano’s third game as interim head coach and the third straight game against a ranked opponent.
At first, it appeared the obstacles would get bigger for ASU, as redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones left the game in the second quarter after being hit as he slid. However, ASU would turn to redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet, who led an upset win over the Huskies 45-38.
“It’s been a long three weeks. We took a bad loss two weeks ago, could have won a game last week…and now it feels great to finally get that [win] after a long month of losing,” said graduate defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera. “It’s not easy for any of us….So just to get that win and finally see the fruits of the labor pay off for a moment, and just enjoy it for today, but we know we’ve got to come back to work…”
Saturday’s game started similarly to last week’s against USC – a slow defensive start. While the defense struggled to limit Washington’s production, ASU’s offense started strong.
Both squads scored on their first trips down the field. Washington methodically broke down the Sun Devils’ defense, capping the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
The Sun Devils’ first points of the afternoon came from a record 53-yard field goal by freshman kicker Carter Brown. It was the longest-made field goal by a true freshman and the sixth-longest ever in program history.
With a 7-3 differential and a Huskies’ drive seemingly on track to score more points, ASU and Washington flipped sides.
Out of the break, a pass breakup by redshirt sophomore cornerback Ro Torrence on what would have been a touchdown for the Huskies completely shifted the momentum. Despite a defensive pass interference call on redshirt junior defensive back Jordan Clark, Washington settled for a 27-yard field goal.
ASU’s offense also turned over a new leaf to start the second quarter. Graduate running back Xazavian Valladay had several gains of at least 10 yards and senior receiver Giovanni Sanders once again brought the Sun Devils within scoring distance.
Momentum was building in Tempe but it was sucked out when Jones suffered an injury following a booming hit by junior safety Asa Turner on the tail of a 6-yard scramble. Both players would leave the game as Jones was escorted by medical staff into the locker room and Turner was ejected for targeting.
Bourguet, a former walk-on and Arizona native, would come in for Jones, inheriting a 10-3 deficit.
“As a backup quarterback, that’s the last thing you want to see is the starter go down, especially with a head injury like that,” Bourguet said. “…But, I’ve prepared the last four years like I’m the starter. You’re always a play away, and I’ve always been told that.”
But just as quickly as the fans went silent, they turned the volume back up when Valladay rushed 11 yards for a touchdown on the very next play to tie the game 10-10.
Those 11 yards contributed to Valladay’s 111-yard day, marking his fourth 100-yard or more performance this year.
From there, ASU’s morale skyrocketed due to a Huskies three-and-out, which gave Bourguet the opportunity to make some plays.
His first pass of the 2022 season – a 10-yard completion to redshirt sophomore receiver Elijhah Badger – was a sign of what was to come for Bourguet.
With the help of a 26-yard rush by redshirt sophomore running back Daniyel Ngata and a 20-yard dime to Badger, it was Bourguet’s turn to showcase his ability. His 14-yard touchdown pass to Valladay was good enough to give ASU its first lead of the afternoon.
“Absolute trust [of the players], and that’s at every position,” Aguano said. “…It’s the ‘What’s next?’ mentality, and the kids know that I’ll never skip a beat in putting in the next person because I trust all the guys on our team. If they’re the second guy, they’ve got to be ready to play because they’re only one play away. From that part, they know I trust them, and I know that they’re going to give me everything they’ve got.”
Not to be outdone by the offense, the defense intercepted Penix’s pass, which deflected off an offensive linemen’s helmet, falling into the hands of Clark, who returned it for a 38-yard pick six.
“I was like ‘Oh my god.’ I just couldn’t believe it,” Clark said. “Really I was just trying to make sure I secured the catch, and once I caught it in stride, I knew nobody was going to catch me…It definitely felt like slow motion…I know we just needed a little bit of momentum on defense, and I think that kind of just gave us some swagger and some of our energy that we lost back.”
Following the dynamic second quarter, there was hope ASU could have a strong second half, something they’ve struggled with this season. And while ASU’s offense eventually did get back on track in the third quarter, it took a big fourth-down stop by the defense on Washington’s 32-yard line to get the gears turning again.
“We just took it as a 0-0 mentality,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Ben Scott. “Offense was up, we’ve got to go out and score, which I don’t think we did, but the game was far from over. We just had to go out and keep doing what we were doing. I feel like sometimes teams have trends of going into halftime up and then letting it slip by in the second half…We were trying to make sure we weren’t going to do that.”
The stop turned into offense just four plays later when Bourguet completed his second touchdown pass of the day to Badger for 10 yards, pushing ASU’s lead to 14.
Following Bouguet’s second score, Washington put seven points on the board, bringing the score to 31-24 and putting the game back within one score.
In addition to scoring on the aforementioned drive, Huskies sophomore running back Cameron Davis scored rushing touchdowns on the next two drives, including the game-tying touchdown.
Davis’s third score came on Washington’s drive succeeding Bourguet’s first interception of his career, which was picked off by redshirt freshman cornerback Davon Banks.
“The DB made a great play,” Bourguet said. “I kind of tried to force that one, but that play was over, and I just try to learn from it and I think at that time they ended up tying it up after that…He made a good play, and I can’t force the ball like that.”
Washington’s numerous chunk plays and another pair of touchdowns weren’t enough for them to overcome the underdog Sun Devils.
Sandwiched between Davis’s first and second touchdowns, Bourguet led the Sun Devils deep into Washington territory. Ngata found his way into the end zone for his first touchdown of the year on a 1-yard rush in the third quarter.
Bourguet ended his career day with another passing touchdown to Badger, which eventually sealed the deal for the Sun Devils and increased Bourguet’s total yardage to 182 yards on 15 completions.
With a 45-38 lead, ASU needed to protect it, putting together a crucial fourth down stop, getting its only sack of the game and a pass breakup on the final play, securing a Sun Devil win.
With the win, Aguano recorded his first win as interim head coach. He also became just the second head coach in ASU history to record their first win against a ranked opponent.
“I remember the same fans that a couple games before were booing and weren’t happy when we weren’t doing well,” Aguano said. “I just wanted to take a quick look and see their happiness. We’ve made a lot of people smile in Arizona…We’ve made a lot of people happy tonight and that makes me feel good.”
